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Τρίτη 13 Μαρτίου 2018

Rational design of isonicotinic acid hydrazide derivatives with anti-tubercular activity: Machine learning, molecular docking, synthesis and biological testing

Abstract

The problem of designing new anti-tubercular drugs against multiple-drug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) was addressed using advanced machine learning methods. Since there are only few published measurements against MDR-TB, we collected a large literature dataset and developed models against the non-resistant H37Rv strain. The predictive accuracy of these models had a coefficient of determination q2 = 0.7-0.8 (regression models), and balanced accuracies of about 80% (classification models) with cross-validation and independent test sets. The models were applied to screen a virtual chemical library, which was designed to have MDR-TB activity. The seven most promising compounds were identified, synthesized and tested. All of them showed activity against the H37Rv strain, and three molecules demonstrated activity against the MDR-TB strain. The docking analysis indicated that the discovered molecules could bind enoyl reductase, InhA, which is required in mycobacterial cell wall development. The models are freely available online (http://ochem.eu/article/103868) and can be used to predict potential anti-TB activity of new chemicals.

This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

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The design of new anti-tubercular drugs against multiple-drug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) was addressed using advanced machine learning methods, such as Associative Neural Networks and Xgboost. The activity of synthesised molecules selected from a virtual chemical library was confirmed in prospective studies. The data and developed models are publicly available at On-line Chemical Database and Modelling (OCHEM) environment http://ochem.eu.



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Cover Image

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The cover image, by Sophie L. Dahl et al., is based on the Research Article Interaction of antivirals with a heptameric bundle model of the p7 protein of hepatitis C virus, DOI: 10.1111/cbdd.13162.



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Issue Information



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Whole genome sequencing of Caribbean Hispanic families with late-onset Alzheimer's disease

Abstract

Objective

To identify rare causal variants underlying known loci that segregate with late-onset Alzheimer's disease (LOAD) in multiplex families.

Methods

We analyzed whole genome sequences (WGS) from 351 members of 67 Caribbean Hispanic (CH) families from Dominican Republic and New York multiply affected by LOAD. Members of 67 CH and additional 47 Caucasian families underwent WGS as a part of the Alzheimer's Disease Sequencing Project (ADSP). All members of 67 CH families, an additional 48 CH families and an independent CH case-control cohort were subsequently genotyped for validation. Patients met criteria for LOAD, and controls were determined to be dementia free. We investigated rare variants segregating within families and gene-based associations with disease within LOAD GWAS loci.

Results

A variant in AKAP9, p.R434W, segregated significantly with LOAD in two large families (OR = 5.77, 95% CI: 1.07–30.9, P = 0.041). In addition, missense mutations in MYRF and ASRGL1 under previously reported linkage peaks at 7q14.3 and 11q12.3 segregated completely in one family and in follow-up genotyping both were nominally significant (P < 0.05). We also identified rare variants in a number of genes associated with LOAD in prior genome wide association studies, including CR1 (P = 0.049), BIN1 (P = 0.0098) and SLC24A4 (P = 0.040).

Conclusions and Relevance

Rare variants in multiple genes influence the risk of LOAD disease in multiplex families. These results suggest that rare variants may underlie loci identified in genome wide association studies.



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Cisplatin suppresses proliferation, migration and invasion of nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells in vitro by repressing the Wnt/β-catenin/Endothelin-1 axis via activating B cell translocation gene 1

Abstract

Purpose

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is one of the most commonly diagnosed cancers worldwide with significantly high prevalence in Southern China. Chemoprevention of cancer with alkylating agent compounds could potentially reverse, suppress, or prevent cancer progression. Cisplatin (CIS) is an antineoplastic or cytotoxic platinum-based drug used for chemotherapy of different types of human cancers such as NPC. Nevertheless, the effects of CIS on the migration and invasion of human NPC cells and the underlying molecular mechanisms have not yet been fully scrutinized.

Methods

In this work, we tested the effect of CIS on the proliferation, migration and invasion of NPC cells. The results exhibited that this drug exerts remarkable inhibitory effects on the proliferation, migration and invasion of NPC cells in a dose-dependent manner. Western blotting and real time RT-PCR were used for expression analyses.

Results

We found that CIS treatment led to a dose-dependent inhibition of Endothelin-1 (ET1) expression, at protein as well as mRNA levels in NPC cells. CIS was also found to activate the expression of BTG1 in NPC cells. Moreover, mechanistic analyses revealed that CIS increased the expression of B cell translocation gene 1 (BTG1) to suppress the expression of ET1. Furthermore, we show that ET1 could not be induced in CIS-resistant cells with suppressed BTG1 expression, and subsequently demote the proliferation, migration and invasion of NPC cells.

Conclusions

These findings provided compelling evidence of the role of CIS in suppressing NPC metastasis and its underlying molecular mechanisms.



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Vascular liver lesions: contemporary views on long-recognized entities



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Estimation of causal effect measures with the R -package stdReg

Abstract

Measures of causal effects play a central role in epidemiology. A wide range of measures exist, which are designed to give relevant answers to substantive epidemiological research questions. However, due to mathematical convenience and software limitations most studies only report odds ratios for binary outcomes and hazard ratios for time-to-event outcomes. In this paper we show how logistic regression models and Cox proportional hazards regression models can be used to estimate a wide range of causal effect measures, with the R-package stdReg. For illustration we focus on the attributable fraction, the number needed to treat and the relative excess risk due to interaction. We use two publicly available data sets, so that the reader can easily replicate and elaborate on the analyses. The first dataset includes information on 487 births among 188 women, and the second dataset includes information on 2982 women diagnosed with primary breast cancer.



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Association between aerobic fitness and cerebrovascular function with neurocognitive functions in healthy, young adults

Abstract

Studies of the effects of physical activity on cognition suggest that aerobic fitness can improve cognitive abilities. However, the physiological mechanisms for the cognitive benefit of aerobic fitness are less well understood. We examined the association between aerobic fitness and cerebrovascular function with neurocognitive functions in healthy, young adults. Participants aged 18–29 years underwent measurements of cerebral vasomotor reactivity (CVMR) in response to rebreathing-induced hypercapnia, maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max) during cycle ergometry to voluntary exhaustion, and simple- and complex-neurocognitive assessments at rest. Ten subjects were identified as having low-aerobic fitness (LF < 15th fitness percentile), and twelve subjects were identified as having high-aerobic fitness (HF > 80th fitness percentile). There were no LF versus HF group differences in cerebrovascular hemodynamics during the baseline condition. Changes in middle cerebral artery blood velocity and CVMR during hypercapnia were elevated more in the HF than the LF group. Compared to the LF, the HF performed better on a complex-cognitive task assessing fluid reasoning, but not on simple attentional abilities. Statistical modeling showed that measures of VO2max, CVMR, and fluid reasoning were positively inter-correlated. The relationship between VO2max and fluid reasoning, however, did not appear to be reliably mediated by CVMR. In conclusion, a high capacity for maximal oxygen uptake among healthy, young adults was associated with greater CVMR and better fluid reasoning, implying that high-aerobic fitness may promote cerebrovascular and cognitive functioning abilities.



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Organoids May Point to Best Therapy [News in Brief]

Patient-specific 3D tumor models accurately predict treatment response in patients with gastrointestinal cancer.



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Identification of General Patterns of Sex-Biased Expression in Daphnia, a Genus with Environmental Sex Determination

Daphnia reproduce by cyclic-parthenogenesis, where phases of asexual reproduction are intermitted by sexual production of diapause stages. This life cycle, together with environmental sex determination, allow the comparison of gene expression between genetically identical males and females. We investigated gene expression differences between males and females in four genotypes of Daphnia magna and compared the results with published data on sex-biased gene expression in two other Daphnia species, each representing one of the major phylogenetic clades within the genus. We found that 42 % of all annotated genes showed sex-biased expression in D. magna. This proportion is similar both to estimates from other Daphnia species as well as from species with genetic sex determination, suggesting that sex-biased expression is not reduced under environmental sex determination. Among 7453 single copy, one-to-one orthologs in the three Daphnia species, 707 consistently showed sex-biased expression and 675 were biased in the same direction in all three species. Hence these genes represent a core-set of genes with consistent sex-differential expression in the genus. A functional analysis identified that several of them are involved in known sex determination pathways. Moreover, 75 % were overexpressed in females rather than males, a pattern that appears to be a general feature of sex-biased gene expression in Daphnia.



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How to do lateral retroperitoneoscopic resection of intra-abdominal paraganglioma



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Clinical significance of serum transthyretin level in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma

Background

Although serum albumin has been reported to be useful as a prognostic biomarker for various malignancies, it is not suitable for prognosis of patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) due to impaired liver function. We aimed to determine whether serum transthyretin (TTR) level can be used as a novel prognostic biomarker.

Methods

Serum levels of TTR, as well as other nutritional and inflammatory parameters including angiogenic factors, were examined in 25 patients with HCC.

Results

The serum TTR levels exhibited a statistically significant inverse correlation with interleukin-6 (r = −0.412, P = 0.041), and showed statistically significant correlations with retinol-binding protein (r = 0.919, P < 0.001) and albumin (r = 0.442, P = 0.027). The patients with TTR <11.4 mg/dL (P = 0.012), those with ≥T2 (P = 0.011) and those with a retention rate of indocyanine green after 15 min ≥15.5 (P = 0.037) showed poorer prognoses than the counterparts of each parameter. The TTR level <11.4 mg/dL (hazard ratio: 4.837, 95% confidence interval: 1.118–20.926, P = 0.035) and ≥T2 (hazard ratio: 5.011, 95% confidence interval: 1.243–20.203, P = 0.023) were independent prognostic factors of HCC patients.

Conclusion

Serum TTR measurement can be useful for predicting the prognosis of patients with HCC.



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Weight loss and retroperitoneal mass



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Complicated appendicitis within an incisional hernia



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Large pulmonary arteriovenous malformation with paradoxical cerebral infarction



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Two-Year Prospective Patient Reported Outcomes Related to Dysphagia After Intensity Modulated Proton Therapy for Oropharyngeal Cancer

Characterize longitudinal change in swallowing related quality of life during and after intensity modulated proton therapy (IMPT) for oropharyngeal cancer.

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Immunogenomic Correlates of Response to Cetuximab in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Immune evasion is a sine qua non for cancer development. Mechanisms of resistance to immune modulating therapeutics in cancer are poorly understood. Less than 20% of patients with HNSCC have a lasting response to cetuximab. We hypothesized that acquired somatic alterations may provide a mechanism of immune evasion in cetuximab failure. Here, using a novel cohort of HNSCC patients treated with neoadjuvant cetuximab, we investigated mechanisms of immune escape from cetuximab therapy.

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Reduced Uninsured Rates and Racial Disparities in Insurance Coverage for Head and Neck Cancer Patients After Medicaid Expansion

To evaluate the effect of Medicaid expansion on trends in insurance coverage for patients with head and neck cancer in the United States.

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Locally Advanced Lung Cancer: Is It Time to Take Cardiac Protection Seriously in Radiation Planning?

During the past couple of years, interest has been substantial in the potential cardiac toxicity associated with radiation therapy (RT) for locally advanced (LA) non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The publication of the seminal RTOG (Radiation Therapy Oncology Group) 0617 randomized trial included an intriguing association of RT heart doses with overall survival (OS) on a secondary multivariable analysis (1). This was followed by subsequent publications suggesting the importance of intensity modulated RT (IMRT) planning and cancer center volume on outcomes (2, 3).

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Table of Contents



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Meetings

April 13-14, 2018

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Planning Committees



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A Randomized, Open-Label, Multicenter, Global Phase 2 Study of Durvalumab (D), Tremelimumab (T), or D Plus T, in Patients With PD-L1 Low/Negative Recurrent or Metastatic Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma: CONDOR

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) commonly has an inflamed phenotype with T-cell infiltration that may benefit from immunotherapy. Durvalumab, a human IgG1 mAb that blocks PD-L1 binding to PD-1 and CD80, showed encouraging antitumor activity in many tumor types, including recurrent or metastatic (R/M) HNSCC in a phase 1/2 study (NCT01693562). Combining anti-PD-L1 and anti-CTLA-4 Abs showed enhanced preclinical antitumor activity over either agent alone, indicating that the 2 pathways are not redundant (Stewart et al.

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Temporal Lobe Radiation Necrosis After Primary Radiation Involving the Skull Base With Proton Therapy: An Institutional Experience

To analyze clinical and dosimetric factors for the occurrence of temporal lobe necrosis (TLN) among patients without prior radiation who then received proton therapy involving the skull base in the upfront setting.

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Exosome-based Detection of EGFR T790M in Plasma from Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Patients

Purpose: About 60% of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients develop resistance to targeted epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) inhibitor therapy through the EGFR T790M mutation. Patients with this mutation respond well to third generation tyrosine kinase inhibitors, but obtaining a tissue biopsy to confirm the mutation poses risks and is often not feasible. Liquid biopsies using circulating free tumor DNA (cfDNA) have emerged as a non-invasive option to detect the mutation, however sensitivity is low as many patients have too few detectable copies in circulation. Here we have developed and validated a novel test that overcomes the limited abundance of the mutation by simultaneously capturing and interrogating exosomal RNA/DNA and cfDNA (exoNA) in a single step followed by a sensitive allele specific qPCR. Experimental design: ExoNA was extracted from the plasma of NSCLC patients with biopsy-confirmed T790M-positive (N = 102) and T790M-negative (N = 108) samples. The T790M mutation status was determined using an analytically validated allele-specific qPCR assay in a CLIA laboratory. Results: Detection of the T790M mutation on exoNA achieved 92% sensitivity and 89% specificity using tumor biopsy results as gold standard. We also obtained high sensitivity (88%) in patients with intrathoracic disease (M0/M1a), for whom detection by liquid biopsy has been particularly challenging. Conclusions: The combination of exoRNA/DNA and cfDNA for T790M detection has higher sensitivity and specificity compared to historical cohorts using cfDNA alone. This could further help avoid unnecessary tumor biopsies for T790M mutation testing.



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p95HER2 methionine 611 carboxy-terminal fragment is predictive of trastuzumab adjuvant treatment benefit in the FinHer trial

Purpose: Expression of p95HER2 (p95), a truncated form of the HER2 receptor, which lacks the trastuzumab binding site but retains kinase activity, has been reported as a prognostic biomarker for poor outcomes in trastuzumab-treated HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer. The impact of p95 expression on trastuzumab treatment efficacy in early HER2-positive breast cancer is less clear. In the current study, p95 was tested as a predictive marker of trastuzumab treatment benefit in the HER2-positive subset of the FinHer adjuvant phase III trial. Experimental Design: In the FinHer trial, 232 HER2-positive early breast cancer patients were randomized to receive chemotherapy plus 9-weeks of trastuzumab or no trastuzumab treatment. Quantitative p95 protein expression was measured in formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded samples using the p95 VeraTag® assay (Monogram Biosciences), specific for the M611 form of p95. Quantitative HER2 protein expression was measured using the HERmark® assay (Monogram Biosciences). Distant disease-free survival (DDFS) was used as the primary outcome measure. Results: In the arm receiving chemotherapy only, increasing log10(p95) correlated with shorter DDFS (HR=2.0; P=.02). In the arm receiving chemotherapy plus trastuzumab (N=95), increasing log10(p95) was not correlated with a shorter DDFS. In a combined analysis of both treatment arms, high breast tumor p95 content was significantly correlated with trastuzumab treatment benefit in multivariate models (interaction P=.01). Conclusions: p95 expression levels were prognostic in the chemotherapy-alone arm and predictive of trastuzumab treatment benefit in FinHer. These results warrant further investigation of p95 as a predictive marker of trastuzumab treatment benefit in the adjuvant setting.



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Endogenous replication stress marks melanomas sensitive to CHK1 inhibitors in vivo

Purpose: CHEK1 inhibitors (CHEK1i) have single agent activity in vitro and in vivo. Here we have investigated the molecular basis of this activity. Experimental Design: We have assessed a panel of melanoma cell lines for their sensitivity to the CHEK1i GNE-323 and GDC-0575 in vitro and in vivo. The effects of these compounds on responses to DNA replication stress were analyzed in the hypersensitive cell lines. Results: A subset of melanoma cell lines are hypersensitive to CHEK1i-induced cell death in vitro, and the drug effectively inhibits tumour growth in vivo. In the hypersensitive cell lines, GNE-323 triggers cell death without cells entering mitosis. CHEK1i treatment triggers strong RPA2 hyper-phosphorylation and increased DNA damage in only hypersensitive cells. The increased replication stress was associated with a defective S phase cell cycle checkpoint. The number and intensity of pRPA2 Ser4/8 foci in untreated tumours appeared to be a marker of elevated replication stress correlated with sensitivity to CHEK1i. Conclusions: CHEK1i have single-agent activity in a subset of melanomas with elevated endogenous replication stress. CHEK1i treatment strongly increased this replication stress and DNA damage, and this correlated to increased cell death. The level of endogenous replication is marked by the pRPA2Ser4/8 foci in the untreated tumours, and may be useful marker of replication stress in vivo. 



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TFAP2E Methylation and Expression Status Does Not Predict Response to 5FU-based Chemotherapy in Colorectal Cancer

Purpose:A recent study reported that 5-fluorouracil (5FU)-based chemotherapy is less effective in treating advanced colorectal cancer (CRC) patients demonstrating hypermethylation of TFAP2E gene. The aim of our study was to confirm and validate these findings in large, uniformly treated, well-characterized patient cohorts. Experimental Design: Two cohorts of 783 CRC patients: 532 from a population-based, multicenter cohort (EPICOLON I) and 251 patients from a clinic-based trial were used to study the effectiveness of TFAP2E methylation and expression as a predictor of response of CRC patients to 5FU-based chemotherapy. DNA methylation status of the TFAP2E gene in CRC patients was assessed by quantitative bisulfite pyrosequencing analysis. IHC analysis of the TFAP2E protein expression was also performed. Results: Correlation between TFAP2E methylation status and IHC staining was performed in 607 CRC. Among 357 hypermethylated tumors, only 141 (39.6%) exhibited loss of protein expression. Survival was not affected by TFAP2E hypermethylation in stage IV patients (HR 1.21; 95% CI 0.79-1.87; log rank p 0.6). In stage II-III cases disease-free survival was not influenced by TFAP2E hypermethylation status in 5-FU treated (HR 0.91; 95% CI 0.52-1.59; log rank p 0.9) as well as in non-treated patients (HR 0.88; 95% CI 0.5-1.54; log rank p 0.7). Conclusions: TFAP2E hypermethylation does not correlate with loss of its protein expression. Our large, systematic and comprehensive study indicates that TFAP2E methylation and expression may not play a major role in predicting response to 5FU-based chemotherapy in CRC patients.



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RIP1-HAT1-SirT complex identification and targeting in treatment and prevention of cancer

Purpose: Alteration in cell death is a hallmark of cancer. A functional role regulating survival, apoptosis and necroptosis has been attributed to RIP1/3 complexes. Experimental design: We have investigated the role of RIP1 and the effects of MC2494 in cell death induction, using different methods as flow cytometry, transcriptome analysis, immunoprecipitation, enzymatic assays, transfections, mutagenesis and in vivo studies with different mice models. Results: Here, we show that RIP1 is highly expressed in cancer and we define a novel RIP1/3-SIRT1/2-HAT1/4 complex. Mass Spectrometry identified 5 acetylations in the kinase and death domain of RIP1. The novel characterised pan-SirT inhibitor, MC2494, increases RIP1 acetylation at 2 additional sites in the death domain. Mutagenesis of the acetylated lysine decreases RIP1-dependent cell death suggesting a role for acetylation of the RIP1 complex in cell death modulation. Accordingly, MC2494 displays tumour-selective potential in vitro, in leukemic blasts ex vivo, and in vivo in both xenograft and allograft cancer models. Mechanistically, MC2494 induces bona fide tumour-restricted acetylated RIP1/caspase-8-mediated apoptosis. Excitingly, MC2494 displays tumour-preventive activity by blocking DMBA-induced mammary gland hyper-proliferation in vivo. Conclusions: These preventive features might prove useful in patients who may benefit from a recurrence-preventive approach with low toxicity during follow-up phases and in cases of established cancer predisposition. Thus, targeting the newly identified RIP1 complex may represent an attractive novel paradigm in cancer treatment and prevention.



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Report of the 14th International Conference on Malignant Lymphoma (ICML) closed workshop on future design of clinical trials in lymphomas.

The 14th ICML held in Lugano in June 2017 was preceded by a closed workshop (organized in collaboration with the American Association for Cancer Research and the European School of Oncology) where experts in preclinical and clinical research in lymphomas met to discuss the current drug development landscape focusing on critical open questions that need to be addressed in the future in order to permit a more efficient drug development paradigm in lymphoma. Topics discussed included both preclinical models that can be used to test new drugs and drug combinations, as well as the optimal design of clinical trials and the endpoints that should be used to facilitate accelerated progress. This report represents a summary of the workshop.



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A Phase I Clinical Trial of AZD1775 in Combination With Neoadjuvant Weekly Docetaxel and Cisplatin Before Definitive Therapy in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Purpose: The WEE1 tyrosine kinase regulates G2/M transition and maintains genomic stability, particularly in p53-deficient tumors which require DNA repair after genotoxic therapy. There is a need to exploit the role of WEE1 inhibition in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) mostly driven by tumor-suppressor loss. This completed phase I clinical trial represents the first published clinical experience using the WEE1 inhibitor, AZD1775, with cisplatin and docetaxel. Experimental Design: We implemented an open-label phase I clinical trial using a 3+3 dose-escalation design for patients with Stage III/IVB HNSCC with borderline-resectable or unresectable disease, who were candidates for definitive chemoradiation. AZD1775 was administered orally twice a day over 2.5 days on the first week, then in combination with cisplatin (25mg/m 2) and docetaxel (35mg/m 2) for three weeks. The primary outcome measure was adverse events to establish maximum-tolerated-dose (MTD). Secondary measures included response, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, and genomic data. Results: The MTD for AZD1775 was established at 150mg orally twice per day for 2.5 days. RECISTv1.1 responses were seen in 5 of 10 patients; histological adjustment revealed 3 additional responders. The only drug-limiting toxicity was Grade-3 diarrhea. The PK C8hr target of 240nM was achieved on Day 4 at all three doses tested. Pharmacodynamic analysis revealed a reduction in pY15-Cdk and increases in gH2AX, CC3 and RPA32/RPA2 were noted in responders vs. non-responders. Conclusions:The triplet combination of AZD1775, cisplatin and docetaxel is safe and tolerable. Preliminary results show promising anti-tumor efficacy in advanced HNSCC, meriting further investigation at the recommended phase 2 dose.



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The Paddington International virtual ChromoendoScopy ScOre (PICaSSO) in ulcerative colitis exhibits very good inter-rater agreement after computerized module training: a multicenter study across academic and community practice (with video)

Electronic virtual chromoendoscopy (EVC) can demonstrate ongoing disease activity in ulcerative colitis (UC), even when Mayo subscores suggest healing. However, applicability of EVC technology outside the expert setting has yet to be determined.

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Organelle-derived acetyl-CoA promotes prostate cancer cell survival, migration, and metastasis via activation of calmodulin kinase II

Although emerging evidence suggests a potential role of calcium/calmodulin-dependent kinase II (CaMKII) in prostate cancer (PCa), its role in PCa tumorigenesis is largely unknown. Here we examine whether the acetyl CoA-CaMKII pathway, first described in frog oocytes, promotes PCa tumorigenesis. In human PCa specimens, metastatic PCa expressed higher levels of active CaMKII compared to localized PCa. Correspondingly, basal CaMKII activity was significantly higher in the more tumorigenic PC3 and PC3-mm2 cells relative to the less tumorigenic LNCaP and C4-2B4 cells. Deletion of CaMKII by CRISPR/Cas9 in PC3-mm2 cells abrogated cell survival under low-serum conditions, anchorage-independent growth and cell migration; overexpression of constitutively active CaMKII in C4-2B4 cells promoted these phenotypes. In an animal model of PCa metastasis, genetic ablation of CaMKII reduced PC3-mm2 cell metastasis from the prostate to the lymph nodes. Knockdown of the acetyl-CoA transporter carnitine acetyltransferase (CRAT) abolished CaMKII activation, providing evidence that acetyl-CoA generated from organelles is a major activator of CaMKII. Genetic deletion of the β-oxidation rate-limiting enzyme ACOX family proteins decreased CaMKII activation, while overexpression of ACOXI increased CaMKII activation. Overall, our studies identify active CaMKII as a novel connection between organelle β-oxidation and acetyl-CoA transport with cell survival, migration, and PCa metastasis.

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Inhibin is a novel paracrine factor for tumor angiogenesis and metastasis

Inhibin is a heterodimeric TGF-β family ligand that is expressed in many cancers and is a selective biomarker for ovarian cancers, however its tumor-specific functions remain unknown. Here we demonstrate that the α subunit of Inhibin (INHA), which is critical for the functionality of dimeric Inhibin A/B, correlates with microvessel density (MVD) in human ovarian tissues and xenografts and is predictive of poor clinical outcomes in multiple cancers. We demonstrate that Inhibin regulated angiogenesis is necessary for metastasis. While Inhibin had no direct impact on tumor cell signaling, both tumor cell-derived and recombinant Inhibin elicit a strong paracrine response from endothelial cells by triggering SMAD1/5 activation and angiogenesis in vitro and in vivo. Inhibin-induced angiogenesis was abrogated via anti-Inhibinα antibodies. The endothelial-specific TGF-β receptor complex comprising ALK1 and endoglin were crucial mediators of Inhibin signaling, offering a molecular mechanism for Inhibin-mediated angiogenesis. These results are the first to define a role for Inhibin in tumor metastasis and vascularization and offer an antibody-based approach for targeting Inhibin therapeutically

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Visualization of breast cancer metabolism using multimodal non-linear optical microscopy of cellular lipids and redox state

Label-free non-linear optical microscopy (NLOM) based on two-photon excited fluorescence (TPEF) from cofactors Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide (NADH) and Flavin Adenine Dinucleotide (FAD+) is widely used for high-resolution cellular redox imaging. In this work, we combined three, label-free NLOM imaging methods to quantitatively characterize breast cancer cells and their relative invasive potential: 1) TPEF optical redox ratio (ORR = FAD+/NADH + FAD+), 2) coherent Raman scattering (CRS) of cellular lipids, and 3) second harmonic generation (SHG) of extracellular matrix (ECM) collagen. 3D spheroid models of primary mammary epithelial cells (PME) and breast cancer cell lines (T47D and MDA-MB-231) were characterized based on their unique ORR and lipid volume fraction signatures. Treatment with 17β-estradiol (E2) increased glycolysis in both PME and T47D ER+ breast cancer cells. However, PME cells displayed increased lipid content with no ECM effect, while T47D cells had decreased lipid storage (p<0.001) and significant reorganization of collagen. By measuring deuterated lipids synthesized from exogenously administered deuterium-labeled glucose, treatment of T47D cells with E2 increased both lipid synthesis and consumption rates. These results confirm that glucose is a significant source for the cellular synthesis of lipid in glycolytic breast cancer cells and that the combination of cellular redox and lipid fraction imaging endpoints is a powerful approach with new and complementary information content.

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Metabolomic Profile of Amniotic Fluid and Wheezing in the First Year of Life—A Healthy Birth Cohort Study

To apply metabolomic analysis of amniotic fluid in a discovery cohort to see whether a specific biochemical-metabolic profile at birth is associated with the subsequent onset of wheezing over the first year of life.

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What is the Purpose of Antenatal Counseling?

In this volume of The Journal, Kharrat et al report the results of a systematic review designed to explore parental expectations and preferences regarding communication and decision-making for infants born extremely premature.1 I'd like to highlight 2 important points from their paper. The first focuses on the main findings of their review. In 19 published articles that met their inclusion criteria, they found, unsurprisingly, that parents want information about anticipated chances of survival and about long-term prognosis.

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Spiritual distress within inpatient settings – A scoping review of patient and family experiences

Spiritual distress contributes to patient and family experiences of care.

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Comparison of opioid prescribing among cancer and non-cancer patients aged 18-64: analysis using administrative data

Secular trends in opioid prescribing affect cancer and non-cancer patients similarly. Further research is required to assess the potential impact on symptom management.

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Palliative sedation in terminal cancer patients admitted to hospice or home care programs: does the setting matter? Results from a national multicenter observational study.

Few studies regarding palliative sedation (PS) have been carried out in home care (HC) setting. A comparison of PS rate and practices between hospice (HS) and HC is also lacking.

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Pressure injury progression and factors associated with different end-points in a home palliative care setting: a retrospective chart review study

Patients with advanced illnesses show the highest prevalence for pressure ulcers. In the palliative care setting the ultimate goal is injury healing, but equally important is wound maintenance, wound palliation (wound-related pain and symptom management), and primary and secondary wound prevention.

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Social Determinants of Health: Addressing Unmet Needs in Nephrology

There is ongoing recognition that a wide array of social, economic, and environmental factors influence individuals' opportunities to engage in health care and healthy behaviors. Despite spending $34 billion annually on the care of patients with end-stage renal disease, the American public and nephrology community remain remarkably complacent about addressing "upstream" factors that influence the prevention, progression, and treatment of chronic kidney diseases. Recently, a growing number of health plans and dialysis providers have begun to embrace population health management; accept greater accountability for health, health care, and health costs; and envision kidney health beyond their traditional roles in care delivery.

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Correlation of polymorphisms in long non-coding RNAs with the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel diseases



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Towards a RAS mutation status in a single day for patients with advanced colorectal cancers



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Effectiveness and safety of anti-TNF therapy for inflammatory bowel disease in liver transplant recipients for primary sclerosing cholangitis: a nationwide case series

There is a lack of consensus regarding the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) after liver transplantation (LT) forprimary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC).

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“Massive” metformin overdose

Abstract

Massive metformin overdose can cause metabolic acidosis with hyperlactatemia. A 55-year-old female presented 5h post multi-drug overdose, including 132 g extended-release metformin. Continuous venovenous haemodiafiltration (CVVHDF) and noradrenaline were commenced due to metabolic acidosis (pH 7.0, lactate 17 mmol/L) and shock. Despite 3 hours of CVVHDF, her acidosis worsened (pH 6.83, lactate 24 mmol/L). Intermittent haemodialysis(IHD) improved acidosis (pH 7.13, lactate 26 mmol/l), but again worsened (pH 6.91, lactate 30 mmol/L) with CVVHDF recommencement. IHD (12 h), CVVHDF (26 h) and vasopressor support for 7 days resulted in survival. Measured metformin concentrations were extremely high with a peak of 292 μg/ml at 8 h post-ingestion. IHD, but not CVVHDF in this case was associated with improvement in metabolic acidosis and hyperlactatemia. Pharmacokinetic analysis of metformin concentrations found a reduced apparent oral clearance (CL/F) of 8.2 L/h and a half-life of approximately 30 h. During IHD, the CL/F increased to 22.2 L/h with an approximate half-life of 10 h. The impact of prolonged oral absorption from a pharmacobezoar and re-distribution of metformin from peripheral sites (including erythrocytes) on the pharmacokinetic profile cannot be determined from the data available.



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HDR Salvage Brachytherapy: Multiple Hypothesis Testing vs Machine Learning Analysis

Approximately only 50% of patients benefit from Salvage High Dose Rate Brachytherapy (sHDRB) with the majority of second recurrences occurring distantly. Therefore, a better patient selection before sHDRB is critical. Using Machine learning we found that patients with a Fraction of Positive Cores > 0.35 and a Disease Free Interval < 4.12 years after their initial radiation treatment experienced a higher failure rate after salvage HDRB of 0.75 vs 0.38 for the rest of the population.

http://ift.tt/2tJAcQR

Close margin <2mm is not associated with higher risks of 10-year local recurrence and breast cancer mortality compared to negative margins in women treated with breast-conserving therapy

The 2014 SS0/ASTRO consensus suggests "no ink on tumor" is a sufficient surgical margin for invasive breast cancer treated with breast conserving surgery (BCS). Whether close margin <2 mm is associated with inferior outcomes remains controversial. This study evaluates 10-year outcomes by margin status in a population-based cohort treated with BCS and adjuvant radiotherapy (RT).

http://ift.tt/2FznsSp

Successful outcome for patients with streptococcal prosthetic joint infections – a retrospective population-based study

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Toothpaste alone does not prevent dental erosion or hypersensitivity

An analysis of nine toothpastes found that none of them protects enamel or prevents erosive wear. Specialists stress that diet and treatment by a dentist are key to avoid the problems originated by dentin exposure.

http://ift.tt/2tJnZvo

Patricia Industries signs agreement to acquire Sarnova from company founder and Water Street Healthcare partners

DUBLIN, Ohio — Sarnova Holdings, Inc., parent company to four fast-growing business units: Bound Tree Medical, Cardio Partners, Emergency Medical Products and Tri-anim Health Services, announced today that the company has signed an agreement to be acquired by Patricia Industries, which is part of the Swedish industrial holding company, Investor AB. Patricia Industries will acquire the majority ...

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Isolation of Dendritic Cells from the Human Female Reproductive Tract for Phenotypical and Functional Studies

We describe here a method to isolate and purify dendritic cells from different anatomical compartments in the human female reproductive tract for the evaluation of their phenotypical and functional characteristics. This method can be adapted to isolate other immune cells or dendritic cells from other mucosal tissues.

http://ift.tt/2p8fIvA

Radionuclide-fluorescence Reporter Gene Imaging to Track Tumor Progression in Rodent Tumor Models

We describe a protocol for preclinical in vivo tracking of cancer metastasis. It is based on a radionuclide-fluorescence reporter combining the sodium iodide symporter, detected by non-invasive [18F]tetrafluoroborate-PET, and a fluorescent protein for streamlined ex vivo confirmation. The method is applicable for preclinical in vivo cell tracking beyond tumor biology.

http://ift.tt/2Hsmt2T

Multiplexed Isothermal Amplification Based Diagnostic Platform to Detect Zika, Chikungunya, and Dengue 1

57051fig1.jpg

Current multiplexed diagnostics to detect Zika, chikungunya, and dengue viruses require complex sample preparation and expensive instrumentation, and are difficult to use in low resource environments. We show a diagnostic that uses isothermal amplification with target-specific strand displaceable probes to detect and differentiate these viruses with high sensitivity and specificity.

http://ift.tt/2FTb4fs

Production of Single Tracks of Ti-6Al-4V by Directed Energy Deposition to Determine the Layer Thickness for Multilayer Deposition

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In this research, a rapid method based on melt pool characterization is developed to estimate the layer thickness of Ti-6Al-4V components produced by directed energy deposition.

http://ift.tt/2FHSCTO

Recording Horizontal Saccade Performances Accurately in Neurological Patients Using Electro-oculogram

The article describes a practical method for recording horizontal eye movements with high accuracy by electro-oculogram in neurological patients, using a cup Ag-AgCl electrode with a wide plastic fringe. Stable measurement requires proper selection and fixation of electrodes, taking sufficient time for light adaptation to occur, and re-calibration as needed.

http://ift.tt/2FQMRq8

The hepatic BMAL1/AKT/Lipogenesis axis protects against alcoholic liver disease via promoting PPARα pathway

ABSTRACT

Alcohol liver disease (ALD) is one of the major chronic liver diseases worldwide, ranging from fatty liver, alcoholic hepatitis, cirrhosis, and potentially hepatocellular carcinoma. Epidemiological studies suggest a potential link between ALD and impaired circadian rhythms, but the role of hepatic circadian proteins in the pathogenesis of ALD remains unknown. Here we show that the circadian clock protein BMAL1 in hepatocytes is both necessary and sufficient to protect mice from alcohol liver disease. Ethanol diet-fed mice with liver-specific knockout (Bmal1-LKO) or depletion of Bmal1 develop more severe liver steatosis and injury as well as a simultaneous suppression of both de novo lipogenesis and fatty acid oxidation, which can be rescued by the supplementation of synthetic PPARα ligands. Restoring de novo lipogenesis in the liver of Bmal1-LKO mice by constitutively active AKT not only elevates hepatic fatty acid oxidation but also alleviates ethanol-induced fatty liver and liver injury. Furthermore, hepatic over-expression of lipogenic transcription factor ChREBP, but not SREBP-1c, in the liver of Bmal1-LKO mice also increases fatty acid oxidation and partially reduces ethanol-induced fatty liver and liver injury. Conclusion: we identified a novel protective role of BMAL1 in hepatocytes against ALD. The protective action of BMAL1 during alcohol consumption depends on its ability to couple ChREBP-induced de novo lipogenesis with PPARα-mediated fatty oxidation. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.



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Impact of IFNL4 genotype on Interferon-stimulated Gene Expression during DAA therapy for Hepatitis C

Abstract

New directly acting antivirals (DAAs) provide very high cure rates in most patients infected by hepatitis C virus (HCV). However, some patient groups have been relatively harder to treat including those with cirrhosis or infected with HCV genotype 3. In the recent BOSON trial, genotype 3, cirrhotic patients receiving a 16 week course of sofosbuvir and ribavirin had a sustained virologic response rate (SVR) of around 50%. In cirrhotic patients, IFNL4 CC genotype was significantly associated with SVR. This genotype was also associated with a lower interferon-stimulated gene (ISG) signature in peripheral blood and in liver at baseline. Unexpectedly, patients with the CC genotype showed a dynamic increase in ISG expression between weeks 4 and 16 of DAA therapy, while the reverse was true for non-CC patients. These data provide an important dynamic link between host genotype and phenotype in HCV therapy also potentially relevant to naturally acquired infection. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.



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Key HLA-DRB1-DQB1 haplotypes and role of the BTNL2 gene for response to a hepatitis B vaccine

Abstract

Approximately 5-10% of individuals, who are vaccinated with a hepatitis B (HB) vaccine designed based on the HBV genotype C, fail to acquire protective levels of antibodies. Here, host genetic factors behind low immune response to this HB vaccine were investigated by a genome wide association study (GWAS) and HLA association tests. A GWAS and HLA association tests were carried out using a total of 1,193 Japanese individuals including 107 low responders, 351 intermediate responders, and 735 high responders. Classical HLA class II alleles were statistically imputed using the genome-wide SNP typing data. The GWAS identified independent associations of HLA-DRB1-DQB1, HLA-DPB1 and BTNL2 genes with immune response to a HB vaccine designed based on the HBV genotype C. Five HLA-DRB1-DQB1 haplotypes and two DPB1 alleles showed significant associations with response to the HB vaccine in a comparison of three groups of 1,193 HB vaccinated individuals. When frequencies of DRB1-DQB1 haplotypes and DPB1 alleles were compared between low immune responders and HBV patients, significant associations were identified for three DRB1-DQB1 haplotypes, and no association was identified for any of the DPB1 alleles. In contrast, no association was identified for DRB1-DQB1 haplotypes and DPB1 alleles in a comparison between high immune responders and healthy individuals. The findings in this study clearly show the importance of HLA-DR-DQ (i.e. recognition of a vaccine related HB surface antigen (HBsAg) by specific DR-DQ haplotypes) and BTNL2 molecules (i.e. high immune response to HB vaccine) for response to a HB vaccine designed based on the HBV genotype C. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.



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Long Term Outcomes and Predictive Scores for Hepatocellular Carcinoma and HBsAg Seroclearance after HBeAg Seroclearance

Abstract

The significance of hepatitis B e-antigen seroclearance (ESC) in the long term is not well defined. The current study aimed to determine the clinical outcomes, the factors and predictive scores for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) seroclearance of a large cohort of patients undergoing ESC. Patients with documented ESC were followed up 3-6 monthly. Baseline characteristics and longitudinal laboratory results were recorded. Predictive scores for HCC (HCC-ESC) and HBsAg seroclearance (HBsAg-ESC) were derived from multivariate Cox regression models. A total of 723 patients underwent ESC with a median ESC age and follow-up of 36.0 and 18.3 years respectively. Only 3.5% and 3.0% had persistently normal ALT and HBV DNA <2logs IU/mL respectively after ESC. For patients with 100%, 100-90%, 90-50%, 50-10%, 10-0%, and 0% normal ALT after HBeAg seroclearance, the rate of HCC was 4.3%, 2.2%, 3.6%, 3.9%, 17.3%, and 37.2% at 20 years after ESC respectively (p<0.001). At 20 years after ESC, the cumulative incidence of HCC and HBsAg seroclearance was 7.9% and 13.5% respectively, with an overall survival of 91.5%. ESC age, male sex, cirrhosis, hypoalbuminemia, viral load, and ALT were significant factors for HCC, whereas ESC age, male sex, viral load, and antiviral therapy were significant factors for HBsAg seroclearance. The AUROC for HCC-ESC and HBsAg-ESC scores to predict HCC and HBsAg seroclearance at 20 years after ESC was 0.92 and 0.74 respectively. Conclusions: Male gender, older age at ESC, ALT, and higher level of HBV DNA were associated with higher rates of HCC after ESC. HCC-ESC and HBsAg-ESC predictive scores can determine the likelihood of developing HCC and achieving HBsAg seroclearance. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.



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Head and neck squamous cell cancers in the United States are rare and the risk now is higher among white individuals compared with black individuals

BACKGROUND

The increasing incidence of oropharyngeal squamous cell cancer (OPSCC) is well established. However, up-to-date incidence estimates and trends for head and neck squamous cell cancers (HNSCCs) overall, including major anatomic sites, and nonoropharyngeal (non-OP) HNSCCs by sex, race, and age in the United States are not well described.

METHODS

A retrospective analysis of incident HNSCCs during 1992 through 2014 using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database was performed to evaluate the incidence of HNSCCs overall, OPSCC, and non-OP HNSCC (those of the larynx, oral cavity, hypopharynx, nasopharynx, and nasal cavity). Incidence rates were calculated overall and by subgroups of interest, and incidence rate ratios were used to compare rates between groups. The incidence rates presented were per 100,000 population and were age adjusted to the 2000 US standard population (19 age groups; Census P25-1130). The annual percent change (APC) was modeled with and without joinpoints.

RESULTS

The incidence of HNSCC overall declined (average APC [aAPC], -0.8; P<.001) despite significant increases in the incidence of OPSCCs, most notably between 2000 and 2014 (APC, 2.1; P<.001). Significant declines in incidence were observed for all non-OP HNSCC sites for both women and men (P<.001 each). Among women, the risk of OPSCC also significantly decreased (aAPC, -0.8; P = .002), whereas the risk among men was stable during 1992 through 2001 (APC, 0.4; P = .42) and then significantly increased from 2001 to 2014 (APC, 2.7; P<.001). Decreases in the risk of non-OP HNSCC were especially large for black women (aAPC, -2.6; P<.001) and men (aAPC, -3.0; P<.001). Although the incidence of HNSCC previously was highest among black individuals, since 2009 its incidence has been higher among white compared with black individuals.

CONCLUSIONS

The incidence of HNSCC is declining, especially for non-OP HNSCC and among black individuals. Cancer 2018. © 2018 American Cancer Society.



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Efficacy and safety results of depatuxizumab mafodotin (ABT-414) in patients with advanced solid tumors likely to overexpress epidermal growth factor receptor

BACKGROUND

Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) alterations are associated with multiple cancers. Current EGFR-directed therapies have led to increased efficacy but are associated with specific side effects. The antibody-drug conjugate depatuxizumab mafodotin (depatux-m) targets EGFR with a monoclonal antibody linked to a cytotoxin, and is highly tumor-specific.

METHODS

This phase 1/2 study evaluated the safety, pharmacokinetics, and efficacy of depatux-m in patients who had advanced solid tumors with known wild-type EGFR overexpression, amplification, or mutated EGFR variant III. A 3 + 3 dose escalation was used, and 2 dosing schedules were evaluated. Depatux-m also was manufactured under an alternate process to reduce the drug load and improve the safety profile, and it was tested at the maximum tolerated dose (MTD). In another cohort, prolonged infusion time of depatux-m was evaluated; and a cohort with confirmed EGFR amplification also was evaluated at the MTD.

RESULTS

Fifty-six patients were treated. The MTD and the recommended phase 2 dose for depatux-m was 3.0 mg/kg. Common adverse events (AEs) were blurred vision (48%) and fatigue (41%). A majority of patients (66%) experienced 1 or more ocular AEs. Grade 3 or 4 AEs were observed in 43% of patients. One patient with EGFR-amplified, triple-negative breast cancer had a partial response. Stable disease was observed in 23% of patients. Pharmacokinetics revealed that depatux-m exposures were approximately dose-proportional.

CONCLUSIONS

Depatux-m resulted in infrequent nonocular AEs but increased ocular AEs. Patient follow-up confirmed that ocular AEs were reversible. Lowering the drug-antibody ratio did not decrease the number of ocular AEs. A partial response in 1 patient with EGFR-amplified disease provides the opportunity to study depatux-m in diseases with a high incidence of EGFR amplification. Cancer 2018. © 2018 The Authors. Cancer published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of American Cancer Society. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited and is not used for commercial purposes.



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Malignant triton tumor of the duodenum: report of a case

Abstract

We report a case of malignant triton tumor of the duodenum, which is extremely rare. A submucosal malignant tumor was detected in the duodenum of a 49-year-old woman. The tumor was completely resected by performing pancreaticoduodenectomy. Pathological examination revealed that the lesion was a malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor with rhabdomyoblastic differentiation, i.e., a malignant triton tumor. Long-term survival has been achieved with no recurrence at 8.5 years after surgery.



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Re: Cumulative burden of inflammation predicts colorectal neoplasia risk in ulcerative colitis: a large single-centre study

In a recent issue of the journal, Choi1 and colleagues have assessed cumulative inflammatory burden (CIB) using endoscopic and histological findings from surveillance colonoscopy, and for the first time have revealed that CIB was significantly associated with the development of colorectal neoplasia (CRN) in patients with UC. This study is an elegant article and very meaningful from a clinical standpoint because the mean severity of microscopic inflammation derived from all surveillance procedures performed in the last decade has suggested it to be an important predictive biomarker for risk stratification of CRN in patients with UC. However, we would like to draw attention to a few important issues related to this very interesting article.

First, the authors evaluated endoscopic and histological inflammatory scores from the most extreme degree of documented inflammatory regions present within any segment of the colorectum in this study. In this context, we have recently assessed DNA methylation...



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Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease with Cirrhosis Increases Familial Risk for Advanced Fibrosis



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Tailoring Porous Silicon for Biomedical Applications: From Drug Delivery to Cancer Immunotherapy

Abstract

In the past two decades, porous silicon (PSi) has attracted increasing attention for its potential biomedical applications. With its controllable geometry, tunable nanoporous structure, large pore volume/high specific surface area, and versatile surface chemistry, PSi shows significant advantages over conventional drug carriers. Here, an overview of recent progress in the use of PSi in drug delivery and cancer immunotherapy is presented. First, an overview of the fabrication of PSi with various geometric structures is provided, with particular focus on how the unique geometry of PSi facilitates its biomedical applications, especially for drug delivery. Second, surface chemistry and modification of PSi are discussed in relation to the strengthening of its performance in drug delivery and bioimaging. Emerging technologies for engineering PSi-based composites are then summarized. Emerging PSi advances in the context of cancer immunotherapy are also highlighted. Overall, very promising research results encourage further exploration of PSi for biomedical applications, particularly in drug delivery and cancer immunotherapy, and future translation of PSi into clinical applications.

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Porous silicon (PSi) has attracted increasing attention for biomedical applications. With controllable geometry, tunable nanoporous structure, large pore volume, high specific surface area, and versatile surface chemistry, PSi exhibits superior performance as a versatile drug carrier. Recent progress in the use of PSi in drug delivery and cancer immunotherapy is reviewed and discussed.



http://ift.tt/2GpEJL0

Creating Stiff, Tough, and Functional Hydrogel Composites with Low-Melting-Point Alloys

Abstract

Reinforcing hydrogels with a rigid scaffold is a promising method to greatly expand the mechanical and physical properties of hydrogels. One of the challenges of creating hydrogel composites is the significant stress that occurs due to swelling mismatch between the water-swollen hydrogel matrix and the rigid skeleton in aqueous media. This stress can cause physical deformation (wrinkling, buckling, or fracture), preventing the fabrication of robust composites. Here, a simple yet versatile method is introduced to create "macroscale" hydrogel composites, by utilizing a rigid reinforcing phase that can relieve stress-induced deformation. A low-melting-point alloy that can transform from a load-bearing solid state to a free-deformable liquid state at relatively low temperature is used as a reinforcing skeleton, which enables the release of any swelling mismatch, regardless of the matrix swelling degree in liquid media. This design can generally provide hydrogels with hybridized functions, including excellent mechanical properties, shape memory, and thermal healing, which are often difficult or impossible to achieve with single-component hydrogel systems. Furthermore, this technique enables controlled electrochemical reactions and channel-structure templating in hydrogel matrices. This work may play an important role in the future design of soft robots, wearable electronics, and biocompatible functional materials.

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"Macroscale" double-network hydrogel composites, consisting of a mesh-like rigid skeleton within a soft hydrogel matrix, are reported. A low-melting-point alloy frame is used as the functional skeleton to introduce properties activated via thermal stimulus (e.g., releasing swelling mismatch, shape memory, and thermal healing). The resulting composites exhibit excellent mechanical properties based on the macroscopic "double-network" effect.



http://ift.tt/2DpB2BP

Tackling Energy Loss for High-Efficiency Organic Solar Cells with Integrated Multiple Strategies

Abstract

Limited by the various inherent energy losses from multiple channels, organic solar cells show inferior device performance compared to traditional inorganic photovoltaic techniques, such as silicon and CuInGaSe. To alleviate these fundamental limitations, an integrated multiple strategy is implemented including molecular design, interfacial engineering, optical manipulation, and tandem device construction into one cell. Considering the close correlation among these loss channels, a sophisticated quantification of energy-loss reduction is tracked along with each strategy in a perspective to reach rational overall optimum. A novel nonfullerene acceptor, 6TBA, is synthesized to resolve the thermalization and VOC loss, and another small bandgap nonfullerene acceptor, 4TIC, is used in the back sub-cell to alleviate transmission loss. Tandem architecture design significantly reduces the light absorption loss, and compensates carrier dynamics and thermalization loss. Interfacial engineering further reduces energy loss from carrier dynamics in the tandem architecture. As a result of this concerted effort, a very high power conversion efficiency (13.20%) is obtained. A detailed quantitative analysis on the energy losses confirms that the improved device performance stems from these multiple strategies. The results provide a rational way to explore the ultimate device performance through molecular design and device engineering.

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Comprehensive optimization on organic solar cells is conducted, including molecular design, interfacial engineering, optical manipulation, and tandem architecture construction. Synergistical application of multiple strategies improves the balance of the energy losses from transmission, insufficient light trapping, thermalization, and carrier dynamic loss. An impressively high device performance up to 13.2% is achieved.



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Polymer Nanocomposites with Ultrahigh Energy Density and High Discharge Efficiency by Modulating their Nanostructures in Three Dimensions

Abstract

Manipulating microstructures of composites in three dimensions has been a long standing challenge. An approach is proposed and demonstrated to fabricate artificial nanocomposites by controlling the 3D distribution and orientation of oxide nanoparticles in a polymer matrix. In addition to possessing much enhanced mechanical properties, these nanocomposites can sustain extremely high voltages up to ≈10 kV, exhibiting high dielectric breakdown strength and low leakage current. These nanocomposites show great promise in resolving the paradox between dielectric constant and breakdown strength, leading to ultrahigh electrical energy density (over 2000% higher than that of the bench-mark polymer dielectrics) and discharge efficiency. This approach opens up a new avenue for the design and modulation of nanocomposites. It is adaptable to the roll-to-roll fabrication process and could be employed as a general technique for the mass production of composites with intricate nanostructures, which is otherwise not possible using conventional polymer processing techniques.

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Artificial nanocomposites fabricated by controlling the 3D distribution and orientation of oxide nanoparticles in a polymer matrix enable much enhanced mechanical and electrical properties along the out-of-plane direction, exhibiting high dielectric breakdown strength and low leakage current. These microstructured nanocomposites show great promise in resolving the paradox between dielectric constants and breakdown strength, leading to ultrahigh electrical energy density and discharge efficiency.



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Design and Fabrication of a Hierarchically Structured Scaffold for Tendon-to-Bone Repair

Abstract

A hierarchically structured scaffold is designed and fabricated for facilitating tendon-to-bone repair. The scaffold is composed of three regions with distinct functions: (i) an array of channels to guide the in-growth of cells and aligned deposition of collagen fibers, as well as integration of the scaffold with the tendon side, (ii) a region with a gradient in mineral composition to facilitate stress transfer between tendon and bone, and (iii) a mineralized inverse opal region to promote the integration of the scaffold with the underlying bone. Cell culture experiments confirm that adipose-derived stromal cells are able to infiltrate and proliferate through the entire thickness of the scaffold without compromised cell viability. The seeded stem cells exhibit directed differentiation into tenocytes and osteoblasts along the mineral gradient as a response to the gradient in Young's modulus. This novel scaffold holds great promise to promote the formation of a functional tendon-to-bone attachment by offering a structurally and compositionally appropriate microenvironment for healing.

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A hierarchically structured scaffold is designed and fabricated to mimic the anatomic structure at the tendon-to-bone insertion. The biomimetic scaffold holds great promise in guiding collagen alignment at the tendon site, reestablishing a mineral gradient at the interface, and generating bone to facilitate tendon-to-bone repair.



http://ift.tt/2p85g88

Stretchable Triboelectric–Photonic Smart Skin for Tactile and Gesture Sensing

Abstract

Smart skin is expected to be stretchable and tactile for bionic robots as the medium with the ambient environment. Here, a stretchable triboelectric–photonic smart skin (STPS) is reported that enables multidimensional tactile and gesture sensing for a robotic hand. With a grating-structured metal film as the bioinspired skin stripe, the STPS exhibits a tunable aggregation-induced emission in a lateral tensile range of 0–160%. Moreover, the STPS can be used as a triboelectric nanogenerator for vertical pressure sensing with a maximum sensitivity of 34 mV Pa−1. The pressure sensing characteristics can remain stable in different stretching conditions, which demonstrates a synchronous and independent sensing property for external stimuli with great durability. By integrating on a robotic hand as a conformal covering, the STPS shows multidimensional mechanical sensing abilities for external touch and different gestures with joints bending. This work has first demonstrated a triboelectric–photonic coupled multifunctional sensing terminal, which may have great applications in human–machine interaction, soft robots, and artificial intelligence.

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Smart skin is expected to be stretchable and tactile for bionic robots. By coupling tunable photoluminescence and a triboelectric nanogenerator, a stretchable triboelectric–photonic smart skin is reported that enables multidimensional tactile and gesture sensing for a robotic hand, which may have great applications in human–machine interaction, soft robots, and artificial intelligence.



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Molecular-Level Hybridization of Nafion with Quantum Dots for Highly Enhanced Proton Conduction

Abstract

Nanophase-separated membranes hold promise for fast molecule or ion transfer. However, development and practical application are significantly hindered by both the difficulty of chemical modification and nanophase instability. This can be addressed by organic–inorganic hybridization of functional fillers with a precise distribution in specific nanophase. Here, a molecular-level hybridization for nanophase-separated Nafion using 2–5 nm quantum dots (QDs) as a new smart filler is demonstrated. Two kinds of QDs are prepared and used: hydrophilic polymer-like QDs (PQDs) and hydrophobic graphene oxide QDs (GQDs). Because of selective interactions, QDs offer advantages of matched structural size and automatic recognition with the nanophase. A distinctive synthesis of subordinate-assembly, in which QDs are driven by the self-assembly of Nafion affinity chains, is reported. This results in a precise distribution of QDs in the ionic, or backbone, nanophases of Nafion. The resulting PQDs in the ionic nanophase significantly increase membrane proton conduction and device output-power without loss of mechanical stability. This is difficult to realize with conventional fillers. The GQDs in the backbone nanophase reduce the crystallinity and significantly augment membrane water uptake and swelling capacities.

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Molecular-level hybridization is realized for Nafion using quantum dots (QDs) as a smart filler, by a subordinate-assembly technique, which permits a precise distribution of hydrophilic QDs in the ionic nanophase and hydrophobic QDs in the backbone nanophase. A selective modification of ionic nanophase that significantly enhances proton conductivity and hydrogen fuel cell performance of Nafion while maintaining mechanical stability is shown.



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Bone marrow transplantation stimulates neural repair in Friedreich's ataxia mice

Abstract

Objectives: Friedreich's ataxia is an incurable inherited neurological disease caused by frataxin deficiency. Here we report the neuro-reparative effects of myeloablative allogeneic bone marrow transplantation in a humanised murine model of the disease.

Methods: Mice received a transplant of fluorescently-tagged sex mis-matched bone marrow cells expressing wild-type frataxin and were assessed at monthly intervals using a range of behavioural motor performance tests. At six months post-transplant, mice were sacrificed for protein and histological analysis. In an attempt to augment numbers of bone marrow-derived cells integrating within the nervous system and improve therapeutic efficacy, a sub-group of transplanted mice also received monthly subcutaneous infusions of cytokines granulocyte-colony stimulating factor and stem cell factor.

Results: Transplantation caused improvements in several indicators of motor coordination and locomotor activity. Elevations in frataxin levels and anti-oxidant defences were detected. Abrogation of disease pathology throughout the nervous system was apparent, together with extensive integration of bone marrow-derived cells in areas of nervous tissue injury that contributed genetic material to mature neurons, satellite-like cells and myelinating Schwann cells by processes including cell fusion. Elevations in circulating bone marrow-derived cell numbers were detected post-cytokine administration and were associated with increased frequencies of Purkinje cell fusion and bone marrow-derived dorsal root ganglion satellite-like cells. Further improvements in motor coordination and activity were evident.

Interpretation: Our data provide proof-of-concept of gene replacement therapy, via allogeneic bone marrow transplantation, that reverses neurological features of Friedreich's ataxia with the potential for rapid clinical translation. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.



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Getting the best outcomes from epilepsy surgery

Abstract

Neurosurgery is an under-utilised treatment that can potentially cure drug-refractory epilepsy. Careful, multidisciplinary pre-surgical evaluation is vital for selecting patients and ensure optimal outcomes. Advances in neuroimaging have improved diagnosis and guide surgical intervention. Invasive electroencephalography allows the evaluation of complex patients who would otherwise not be candidates for neurosurgery. We review the current state of the assessment and selection of patients and consider established and novel surgical procedures, and associated outcome data. We aim to dispel myths that may inhibit physicians from referring and patients from considering neurosurgical intervention for drug-refractory focal epilepsies. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.



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The reality of “ghosts” in authorship of clinical trials in multiple sclerosis



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De Novo Hotspot Variants in CYFIP2 Cause Early-Onset Epileptic Encephalopathy

ABSTRACT

Objective: The cytoplasmic fragile X mental retardation 1 interacting proteins 2 (CYFIP2) is a component of the WAVE regulatory complex, which is involved in actin dynamics. An obvious association of CYFIP2 variants with human neurological disorders has never been reported. Here, we identified de novo hotspot CYFIP2 variants in neurodevelopmental disorders and explore the possible involvement of the CYFIP2 mutants in the WAVE signaling pathway.

Methods: We performed trio-based whole exome sequencing (WES) in 210 families and case-only WES in 489 individuals with epileptic encephalopathies. The functional effect of CYFIP2 variants on WAVE signaling was evaluated by computational structural analysis and in vitro transfection experiments.

Results: We identified three de novo CYFIP2 variants at the Arg87 residue in four unrelated individuals with early-onset epileptic encephalopathy. Structural analysis indicated that the Arg87 residue is buried at an interface between CYFIP2 and WAVE1, and the Arg87 variant may disrupt hydrogen bonding, leading to structural instability and aberrant activation of the WAVE regulatory complex. All mutant CYFIP2 showed comparatively weaker interactions to the VCA domain than wild type CYFIP2. Immunofluorescence revealed that ectopic speckled accumulation of actin and CYFIP2 was significantly increased in cells transfected with mutant CYFIP2.

Interpretation: Our findings suggest that de novo Arg87 variants in CYFIP2 have gain-of-function effects on the WAVE signaling pathway, and are associated with severe neurological disorders. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.



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Cancers, Vol. 10, Pages 70: Any Place for Immunohistochemistry within the Predictive Biomarkers of Treatment in Lung Cancer Patients?

Cancers, Vol. 10, Pages 70: Any Place for Immunohistochemistry within the Predictive Biomarkers of Treatment in Lung Cancer Patients?

Cancers doi: 10.3390/cancers10030070

Authors: Véronique Hofman Sandra Lassalle Coraline Bence Elodie Long-Mira Sacha Nahon-Estève Simon Heeke Virginie Lespinet-Fabre Catherine Butori Marius Ilié Paul Hofman

The identification of certain genomic alterations (EGFR, ALK, ROS1, BRAF) or immunological markers (PD-L1) in tissues or cells has led to targeted treatment for patients presenting with late stage or metastatic lung cancer. These biomarkers can be detected by immunohistochemistry (IHC) and/or by molecular biology (MB) techniques. These approaches are often complementary but depending on, the quantity and quality of the biological material, the urgency to get the results, the access to technological platforms, the financial resources and the expertise of the team, the choice of the approach can be questioned. The possibility of detecting simultaneously several molecular targets, and of analyzing the degree of tumor mutation burden and of the micro-satellite instability, as well as the recent requirement to quantify the expression of PD-L1 in tumor cells, has led to case by case development of algorithms and international recommendations, which depend on the quality and quantity of biological samples. This review will highlight the different predictive biomarkers detected by IHC for treatment of lung cancer as well as the present advantages and limitations of this approach. A number of perspectives will be considered.



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2018 National Advocacy Dinner

Learn the top legislative issues affecting your future profession and patients, and find out how YOU can get involved and make a difference NOW as a student advocate.The dinner offers a great chance to meet and mingle with physical therapy students, faculty, and leaders from your area.

The National Advocacy Dinner is hosted in cities across the country March 18-April 28, 2018.

Learn more:
http://ift.tt/2FRysde.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-yAFVewh5g

Histone Deacetylases 1 and 2 Regulate Microglia Function during Development, Homeostasis, and Neurodegeneration in a Context-Dependent Manner

Little is known about the epigenetic signals that control microglia function in vivo. Datta et al. show that histone deacetylases Hdac1 and Hdac2 are essential for microglial survival and expansion during development but not during steady state. In Alzheimer's disease mouse model, deletion of microglial Hdac1 and Hdac2 reduces amyloid pathology and improves cognitive function.

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Sensing Microbial Viability through Bacterial RNA Augments T Follicular Helper Cell and Antibody Responses

Live vaccines typically elicit augmented humoral responses, affording superior protection. Barbet et al. report that innate detection of bacterial RNA, a signature of microbial viability, directs a heightened Tfh cell response. This response is extrinsic to B cells and dendritic cells and involves CX3CR1+CCR2– monocyte instruction of Tfh differentiation via TRIF-dependent IFN-β licensing of bacterial RNA-driven inflammasome activation.

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A Neutralizing Antibody Recognizing Primarily N-linked Glycan Targets the Silent Face of the HIV Envelope

The center of the "silent face" on the HIV-1 envelope is shielded by glycans and has been devoid of antibody recognition. Zhou et al. identify the antibody VRC-PG05, which binds a glycan-dominated epitope at the silent face center and completes antibody recognition of all major exposed regions of the envelope trimer.

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Associations between aspirin use and the risk of cancers: a meta-analysis of observational studies

Abstract

Background

Epidemiological studies have clarified the potential associations between regular aspirin use and cancers. However, it remains controversial on whether aspirin use decreases the risk of cancers risks. Therefore, we conducted an updated meta-analysis to assess the associations between aspirin use and cancers.

Methods

The PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science databases were systematically searched up to March 2017 to identify relevant studies. Relative risks (RRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to assess the strength of associations.

Results

A total of 218 studies with 309 reports were eligible for this meta-analysis. Aspirin use was associated with a significant decrease in the risk of overall cancer (RR = 0.89, 95% CI: 0.87–0.91), and gastric (RR = 0.75, 95% CI: 0.65–0.86), esophageal (RR = 0.75, 95% CI: 0.62–0.89), colorectal (RR = 0.79, 95% CI: 0.74–0.85), pancreatic (RR = 0.80, 95% CI: 0.68–0.93), ovarian (RR = 0.89, 95% CI: 0.83–0.95), endometrial (RR = 0.92, 95% CI: 0.85–0.99), breast (RR = 0.92, 95% CI: 0.88–0.96), and prostate (RR = 0.94, 95% CI: 0.90–0.99) cancers, as well as small intestine neuroendocrine tumors (RR = 0.17, 95% CI: 0.05–0.58).

Conclusions

These findings suggest that aspirin use is associated with a reduced risk of gastric, esophageal, colorectal, pancreatic, ovarian, endometrial, breast, and prostate cancers, and small intestine neuroendocrine tumors.



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Enhancement of Lipid Metabolism and Hepatic Stability in Fat-Induced Obese Mice by Fermented Cucurbita moschata Extract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the potentials of fermented Cucurbita moschata extract (FCME) in the treatment of obesity and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Five-week-old male C57BL/6 mice were assigned to 6 groups and treated for 8 weeks by feeding the normal diet (ND) and high fat diet (HFD) with and without FCME. Changes in body weight gain and consumption of feed and water were recorded. Major organs, adipose tissues, and blood samples were collected after the experimental period. The serum lipid profile, histological features of liver and adipose tissues, and mRNA expression of different adipogenic/lipogenic genes from liver tissue were evaluated. The supplementation of FCME in HFD significantly prevented HFD-induced increment of bodyweight. The adipose tissue mass, liver enzymes, and plasma lipids were also reduced significantly by the consumption of FCME. The mRNA expressions of adipogenic/lipogenic genes (PPARγ, C/EBPα, C/EBPβ, C/EBPγ, and SREBP-1C) in FCME-treated obese mice were considerably suppressed. FCME showed its antiobesity potential by suppressing the body weight gain and by modulating the plasma lipids and liver enzymes through the regulation of adipogenic/lipogenic transcriptional factors. Fermented Cucurbita moschata could be an opportunistic agent in controlling obesity and fatty liver changes.

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Emotional cues and social anxiety resolve ambiguous perception of biological motion

Abstract

Perceptions of ambiguous biological motion are modulated by different individual cognitive abilities (such as inhibition and empathy) and emotional states (such as anxiety). This study explored facing-the-viewer bias (FTV) in perceiving ambiguous directions of biological motion, and investigated whether task-irrelevant simultaneous face emotional cues in the background and the individual social anxiety traits could affect FTV. We found that facial motion cues as background affect sociobiologically relevant scenarios, including biological motion, but not non-biological situations (conveyed through random dot motion). Individuals with high anxiety traits demonstrated a more dominant FTV bias than individuals with low anxiety traits. Ensemble coding-like processing of task-irrelevant multiple emotional cues could magnify the facing-the-viewer bias than did in the single emotional cue. Overall, those findings suggest a correlation between high-level emotional processing and high-level motion perception (subjective to attentional control) contributes to facing-the-viewer bias.



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Sustained Viremic Control in HIV-Infected Patient: Case Report from Nepal

A case of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection is described from Nepal with constant maintenance of CD4 count and HIV-RNA level below the lower detection threshold for more than ten years. The case was diagnosed of HIV positive in the year 2008. He had his viral load estimation performed every year since then which was always below lower detection limit and remained healthy without treatment. The patient also had not any kinds of opportunistic infection till date. He is married now and has not transmitted the disease to his wife.

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Validity of self-reported weight, height, and body mass index among African American breast cancer survivors

Abstract

Purpose

Self-reported weight, height, and body mass index (BMI) are commonly used in cancer epidemiology studies, but information on the validity of self-reports among cancer survivors is lacking. This study aimed to evaluate the validity of these self-reported measures among African American (AA) breast cancer survivors, known to have high obesity prevalence.

Methods

We compared the self-reported and measured values among 243 participants from the Women's Circle of Health Follow-Up Study (WCHFS), a population-based longitudinal study of AA breast cancer survivors. Multivariable-adjusted linear regressions were used to identify factors associated with reporting errors. We also examined the associations of self-reported and measured BMI with obesity-related health outcomes using multivariable logistic regressions, with hypertension as an example, to evaluate the impact of misreporting.

Results

We found that self-reported and measured values were highly correlated among all and when stratified by participants' characteristics (intraclass correlation coefficients ≥ 0.99, 0.84, and 0.96 for weight, height, and BMI, respectively). The agreement between BMI categories (normal, overweight and obese) based on self-reported and measured data was excellent (kappa = 0.81). Women who were older, never smoked, had higher grade tumors, or had greater BMI tended to have overestimated BMI calculated from self-reported weight and height. The BMI-hypertension association was similar using self-reported (OR per 5 kg/m2 increase 1.63; 95% CI 1.27–2.10) and measured BMI (1.58; 95% CI 1.23–2.03).

Conclusions

Self-reported weight, height, and BMI were reasonably accurate in the WCHFS.

Implications for Cancer Survivors

Our study supports the use of these self-reported values among cancer survivors when direct measurements are not possible.



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Integrated genomic analysis identifies clinically relevant subtypes of renal clear cell carcinoma

Abstract

Background

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) account for over 80% of renal malignancies. The most common type of RCC can be classified into three subtypes including clear cell, papillary and chromophobe. ccRCC (the Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma) is the most frequent form and shows variations in genetics and behavior. To improve accuracy and personalized care and increase the cure rate of cancer, molecular typing for individuals is necessary.

Methods

We adopted the genome, transcriptome and methylation HMK450 data of ccRCC in The Cancer Genome Atlas Network in this research. Consensus Clustering algorithm was used to cluster the expression data and three subtypes were found. To further validate our results, we analyzed an independent data set and arrived at a consistent conclusion. Next, we characterized the subtype by unifying genomic and clinical dimensions of ccRCC molecular stratification. We also implemented GSEA between the malignant subtype and the other subtypes to explore latent pathway varieties and WGCNA to discover intratumoral gene interaction network. Moreover, the epigenetic state changes between subgroups on methylation data are discovered and Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was performed to delve the relation between specific genes and prognosis.

Results

We found a subtype of poor prognosis in clear cell renal cell carcinoma, which is abnormally upregulated in focal adhesions and cytoskeleton related pathways, and the expression of core genes in the pathways are negatively correlated with patient outcomes.

Conclusions

Our work of classification schema could provide an applicable framework of molecular typing to ccRCC patients which has implications to influence treatment decisions, judge biological mechanisms involved in ccRCC tumor progression, and potential future drug discovery.



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Prognostic nutritional index as a predictor of survival in resectable gastric cancer patients with normal preoperative serum carcinoembryonic antigen levels: a propensity score matching analysis

Abstract

Background

An ideal tumor marker should be capable of being detected at any stage of the disease. However, gastric cancer patients do not always have elevated serum carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) levels, even in advanced cases. Recently, several studies have investigated the associations between preoperative PNI and postoperative long-term outcomes. In this study, we focused on the significance of the prognostic nutritional index (PNI) as a potential predictor of survival in resectable gastric cancer patients with normal preoperative serum CEA levels.

Methods

We retrospectively conducted cohort study to evaluate the PNI as a predictor of survival in 368 resectable gastric cancer patients who underwent potentially curative gastrectomy at our institute between January 2010 and December 2016. We selected 218 patients by propensity score matching to reduce biases due to the different distributions of co-variables among the comparable groups.

Results

In the multivariate analysis, pStage (hazard ratio [HR]: 14.003, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 5.033–44.487; p <  0.001), PNI (HR: 2.794, 95% CI: 1.352–6.039; p <  0.001) were identified as independent prognostic factors of CSS in 218 propensity matched gastric cancer patients. The Kaplan-Meier analysis demonstrated that low PNI patients had a significantly poorer cancer specific survival (CSS) than high PNI patients (p = 0.008).

Among 166 propensity matched gastric cancer patients with normal preoperative serum CEA levels, multivariate analysis demonstrated that pStage (HR: 7.803, 95% CI: 3.015–24.041; p <  0.001) and PNI (HR: 3.078, 95% CI: 1.232–8.707; p = 0.016) were identified as independent prognostic factors of CSS. And Kaplan-Meier analysis demonstrated that low PNI had a significantly poorer CSS than high PNI value (p = 0.011).

Conclusions

This study demonstrates that a low preoperative PNI value is a potential independent risk factor for poorer CSS in patients with gastric cancer, even in those with normal serum CEA levels.



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A novel splicing site IRP1 somatic mutation in a patient with pheochromocytoma and JAK2 V617F positive polycythemia vera: a case report

Abstract

Background

The role of the hypoxia signaling pathway in the pathogenesis of pheochromocytoma/paraganglioma (PPGL)-polycythemia syndrome has been elucidated. Novel somatic mutations in hypoxia-inducible factor type 2A (HIF2A) and germline mutations in prolyl hydroxylase type 1 and type 2 (PHD1 and PHD2) have been identified to cause upregulation of the hypoxia signaling pathway and its target genes including erythropoietin (EPO) and its receptor (EPOR). However, in a minority of patients presenting with this syndrome, the genetics and molecular pathogenesis remain unexplained. The aim of the present study was to uncover novel genetic causes of PPGL-polycythemia syndrome.

Case presentation

A female presented with a history of JAK2V617F positive PV, diagnosed in 2007, and right adrenal pheochromocytoma diagnosed and resected in 2011. Her polycythemia symptoms and hematocrit levels continued to worsen from 2007 to 2011, with an increased frequency of phlebotomies. Postoperatively, until early 2013, her hematocrit levels remained normalized. Following this, the hematocrit levels ranged between 46.4 and 48.9% [35–45%]. Tumor tissue from the patient was further tested for mutations in genes related to upregulation of the hypoxia signaling pathway including iron regulatory protein 1 (IRP1), which is a known regulator of HIF-2α mRNA translation. Functional studies were performed to investigate the consequences of these mutations, especially their effect on the HIF signaling pathway and EPO. Indel mutations (c.267-1_267delGGinsTA) were discovered at the exon 3 splicing site of IRP1. Minigene construct and splicing site analysis showed that the mutation led to a new splicing site and a frameshift mutation of IRP1, which caused a truncated protein. Fluorescence in situ hybridization analysis demonstrated heterozygous IRP1 deletions in tumor cells. Immunohistochemistry results confirmed the truncated IRP1 and overexpressed HIF-2α, EPO and EPOR in tumor cells.

Conclusions

This is the first report which provides direct molecular genetic evidence of association between a somatic IRP1 loss-of-function mutation and PHEO and secondary polycythemia. In patients diagnosed with PHEO/PGL and polycythemia with negative genetic testing for mutations in HIF2A, PHD1/2, and VHL, IRP1 should be considered as a candidate gene.



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Regulation of CNKSR2 protein stability by the HECT E3 ubiquitin ligase Smurf2, and its role in breast cancer progression

Abstract

Background

Smurf2 E3 ubiquitin ligase physically associates with and regulate the stability of distinct cellular protein substrates. The multi-functional scaffold protein Connector enhancer of kinase suppressor of ras 2 (CNKSR2) plays a key role in regulating cell proliferation, and differentiation through multiple receptor tyrosine kinase pathways. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the interaction between Smurf2 and CNKSR2 has any significant role in the post transcriptional regulation of CNKSR2 expression in breast cancer. Methods: Here we demonstrate a novel interaction of CNKSR2 with Smurf2 by co-immunoprecipitation, indirect immunofluorescence studies, and surface plasmon resonance (SPR) analysis, which can ubiquitinate, but stabilize CNKSR2 by protecting it from proteasome mediated degradation.

Results

CNKSR2 protein levels were significantly increased upon forced overexpression of Smurf2, indicating the role of Smurf2 in regulating the stability of CNKSR2. Conversely, Smurf2 knockdown resulted in a marked decrease in the protein level expression of CNKSR2 by facilitating enhanced polyubiquitination and proteasomal degradation and reduced the proliferation and clonogenic survival of MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cell lines. Tissue microarray data from 84 patients with various stages of mammary carcinoma, including (in order of increasing malignant potential) normal, usual hyperplasia, fibrocystic changes, fibroadenoma, carcinoma-in-situ, and invasive ductal carcinoma showed a statistically significant association between Smurf2 and CNKSR2 expression, which is also well correlated with the ER, PR, and HER2 status of the tissue samples. A comparatively high expression of Smurf2 and CNKSR2 was observed when the expression of ER and PR was low, and HER2 was high. Consistently, both Smurf2 and CNKSR2 showed an integrated expression in MCF10 breast progression model cell lines.

Conclusions

Altogether, our findings reveal that Smurf2 is a novel positive regulator of CNKSR2 and suggest that Smurf2-CNKSR2 interaction may serve as a common strategy to control proliferation of human breast cancer cells by modulating CNKSR2 protein stability.



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Ammonia oxidation: Ecology, physiology, biochemistry and why they must all come together

Abstract
Ammonia oxidation is a fundamental core process in the global biogeochemical nitrogen cycle. Oxidation of ammonia (NH3) to nitrite (NO2) is the first and rate-limiting step in nitrification and is carried out by distinct groups of microorganisms. Ammonia oxidation is essential for nutrient turnover in most terrestrial, aquatic and engineered ecosystems and plays a major role, both directly and indirectly, in greenhouse gas production and environmental damage. Although ammonia oxidation has been studied for over a century, this research field has been galvanised in the past decade by the surprising discoveries of novel ammonia oxidising microorganisms. This review reflects on the ammonia oxidation research to date and discusses the major gaps remaining in our knowledge of the biology of ammonia oxidation.

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Salicylate induces reactive oxygen species and reduces UVC susceptibility in Staphylococcus aureus

Abstract
Present study demonstrates that growth of Staphylococcus aureus in the presence of salicylate reduces ultraviolet C (UVC)-induced cell death and increases the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). In addition, compounds that scavenge ROS (N-acetylcysteine, glutathione, catalase and superoxide dismutase) reverse the increased UVC survival induced by growth in the presence of salicylate, while ROS donors (tert-butylhydroperoxide, H2O2, and NaClO) enhance survival of salicylate challenged cultures. Collectively these findings suggest that ROS production induced by growth in the presence of salicylate protects S. aureus from UVC-induced cell death.

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Interaction of enzymes of the tricarboxylic acid cycle in Bacillus subtilis and Escherichia coli: A comparative study

Abstract
We studied the interaction of the tricarboxylic acid cycle (TCA) enzymes citrate synthase, isocitrate dehydrogenase and malate dehydrogenase in the bacteria Bacillus subtilis and Escherichia coli in vivo. In B. subtilis the genes encoding citrate synthase, isocitrate dehydrogenase and malate dehydrogenase form an operon (citZ-icd-mdh) and predominantly are co-transcribed from a single promoter. In E. coli the corresponding genes gltA, icd and mdh do not form a transcription unit, are scattered around the chromosome and are expressed from different promoters. We found that co-transcription of genes and subsequent co-translation of the corresponding mRNAs promotes the formation of protein complexes and give support for the previous findings that in B. subtilis citrate synthase, isocitrate dehydrogenase and malate dehydrogenase form an enzyme complex (metabolon).

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The Primary Biological Network of Bifidobacterium in the Gut

Abstract
Bacterial interactions in the biological network affect the growth of Bifidobacterium. In the present study, five habitats were constructed by changing animals, their health statuses and their diets. In each of these habitats, different networks of Bifidobacterium were outlined through correlation analysis of the 50 most dominant microbes. Thirty-eight bacterial genera directly correlated with the growth of Bifidobacterium, including 23 genera with a positive correlation and 15 genera with a negative correlation. This study presented, to our knowledge, a new biological network of rodent gut Bifidobacterium under various representative habitats. This study shows an in vivo network of Bifidobacterium, thereby contributing to constructing an in vitro network of Bifidobacterium for further studies.

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Comparative assessment of HPV, alcohol and tobacco etiological fractions in Algerian patients with laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma

Abstract

Background

Despite the increasing incidence of laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) in Algeria, scarce information is available on the importance of the preventable etiological factors which may drive the disease. Remarkably, a significant number of cases occur in nonsmoker and nondrinker patients; hence, suggesting that alternative risk factors, like Human papillomavirus (HPV), might be etiologically involved. To gain more insight on the risk factors associated with the disease in the country, we evaluated the etiological fraction of HPV in comparison to tobacco and alcohol intake in LSCC patients.

Methods

To evaluate the etiopathologic fraction (EF) for HPV compared to history of tobacco and alcohol in LSCC, HPV DNA presence in 46 invasive and 3 non-invasive formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded laryngeal tumors was screened using the SPF10-DEIA-LiPA25 Assay. Demographic data and information related to exposure to the risk factors were gathered through interviewer-assisted questionnaires.

Results

We observed that 40.8% of all LSCC cases were associated with smoking, 40.8% had combined tobacco and alcohol exposure history, and 14.3% did not show prior exposure to either risk factor. 1 out of 3 in-situ carcinoma cases was positive for HPV-6. HPV prevalence was null in the invasive tumors. HPV DNA was detected in 2.38% for all studied cases. 10.2% of LSCC patients did not associate with any of the studied risk factors.

Conclusion

Here we show that HPV etiological fraction in LSCC Algerian patients is low and smoking and alcohol remain the principal etiopathologic risk for LSCC burden in Algeria.



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Balanced trafficking between the ER and the Golgi apparatus increases protein secretion in yeast

The yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is widely used as a cell factory to produce recombinant proteins. However, S. cerevisiae naturally secretes only a few proteins, such as invertase and the mating alpha factor, a...

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Drosophila as a Model System to Study Nonautonomous Mechanisms Affecting Tumour Growth and Cell Death

The study of cancer has represented a central focus in medical research for over a century. The great complexity and constant evolution of the pathology require the use of multiple research model systems and interdisciplinary approaches. This is necessary in order to achieve a comprehensive understanding into the mechanisms driving disease initiation and progression, to aid the development of appropriate therapies. In recent decades, the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster and its associated powerful genetic tools have become a very attractive model system to study tumour-intrinsic and non-tumour-derived processes that mediate tumour development in vivo. In this review, we will summarize recent work on Drosophila as a model system to study cancer biology. We will focus on the interactions between tumours and their microenvironment, including extrinsic mechanisms affecting tumour growth and how tumours impact systemic host physiology.

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Utilizing cocoyam (Xanthosoma sagittifolium) for food and nutrition security: A review

Abstract

The critical role of indigenous crops in the socioeconomic growth of developing nations has necessitated calls for accelerated exploitation of staples. Cocoyam, Xanthosoma sagittifolium, is food for over 400 million people worldwide and is the most consumed aroid in West Africa. However, it remains an underexploited food resource. This study reviews existing literature and also makes use of primary data from interviews with indigenous cocoyam farmers, processors, consumers, and cocoyam scientists in the research Institutes of Ghana, to provide insight into existing nomenclature of the species, indigenous knowledge on food uses, nutritional value, and potential novel food applications of cocoyam. Adaptable technologies in conformity to new trends in food science that could be employed for in-depth molecular studies and further exploitation of the crop are also discussed. It is envisaged that the provided information would contribute to global efforts aimed at exploiting the full potential of indigenous crops for sustainable food and nutrition security.

Thumbnail image of graphical abstract

Cocoyam (Xanthosoma sagittifolium) feeds over 400 million people worldwide and sustains the livelihood of many tropical and subtropical communities. However, marginalized in agricultural and research interventions, knowledge available on the crop is scattered, and it remains an underexploited food resource. This review presents a comprehensive insight into existing knowledge and potential utilization of cocoyam, as well as adaptable modern analytical methods for its research in sub-Saharan Africa.



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